Hasidic Culture

Jewish boys, when I lived on 63rd Drive in Queens with my mom and sister, wore religious garments weaved from their god’s commandments, hidden over their shoulders, under their shirts and tied at the waist. Dangling holy fringes handed down from parents, grandparents, great grandparents and so forth protected the little Kepis, perfect in the eyes of their families, with an ace up their sleeves and they knew it. Non-Jewish kids, having to face life barren of the symbolic breastplate, or the assumed Hasidic halo (another neat trick) knew there was something different being a modern Semitic but they could never put a finger on it. The only clue anything was going on inside all that Jewish hair was the fleeting smiles at the corners of their mouths a wisp before the lips turned smug.

To become an effective counselor to Jewish Americans or any race or diverse population is to be aware of one’s thoughts and opinions concerning racism and racial advantage, as well increase knowledge of culture’s different from oneself (Hays & Erford, 2014). Jewish Americans are referred to those Caucasian individuals who have immigrated to the United States from another country, such as Eastern Europe (Hays and Erford, 2014). In this paper, I will identify and provide a description of the Jewish population and how they differ from myself in a variety of ways. Additionally, I will provide a reflection of my immersion into the Jewish culture via my observations and highlight what I have learned

This Jewish community is the modernized Jews who prides on welcoming non-Jews into the community and to the religion itself. Their motto is not to get to know you, meaning they welcome anyone from any religion to come and see how and what they do to perform their service with the offering of coffee and desserts which are very darn hard to say no to.

During the second half of the 19th century a wave of Jews, fleeing from their home countries in Eastern Europe, immigrated to the United States looking for a better quality of life and pursuing not being persecuted for their religion. In Abraham Cahan’s book “The Rise of David Lewinsky” the main character is one of these Jewish people who immigrated from Antomir, Russia, to America in order to succeed. This essay will demonstrate how in order to rise in America David Levinsky had to change the way he practiced Judaism, from being an orthodox and becoming a conservative focusing on the events where he is a “greenhorn no more.” Abraham Cahan had two insights that helped him understand the process of fitting in society. The first insight was

When one thinks of successful New York Jews in the modern age, some of the first names that come to mind are actors like Woody Allen or political figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. All these figures share not only a religious and geographical background, but more importantly share the same building block for success. The mere fact that all of them grew up in an area containing a large percentage of people whose families came to the United States and especially the lower east side of Manhattan and the borough of Brooklyn. It is not a matter of coloration but is a prime example of causation. The massive influx of Eastern European Jews at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century created

The Fairfax District in Los Angeles is a neighborhood with a rich history and mixed culture of old and new. It is deeply rooted in Judaica culture, as apparent along the streets lined with Jewish delis, bakeries, grocery stores, and synagogues. Though in recent decades Fairfax has become an urban playground for younger generations, it still carries the essence of traditional Jewish lifestyle. Here is where decades-old Israeli restaurants sit next to streetwear shops and thrift shops, and “where Orthodox men share the sidewalk with skateboarders” (Nedivi, 2013).

There are about 400,000 known Jews in Britain, and in addition some thousands or, at most, scores of thousands of Jewish refugees who have entered the country from 1934 onwards. The Jewish population is almost entirely concentrated in half a dozen big towns and is mostly employed in the food, clothing and furniture trades. A few of the big monopolies, such as the ICI, one or two leading newspapers and at least one big chain of department stores are Jewish-owned or partly Jewish-owned, but it would be very far from the truth to say that British business life is dominated by Jews. The Jews seem, on the contrary, to have failed to keep up with the modern tendency towards big amalgamations and to have

With many iconic Jewish restaurants and delis, a thriving theatre and arts district, and a number of beloved synagogues, the religious culture of Judaism is alive and well in the area. There are a decent number of transient Chinese in the Lower East Side as well, mostly due to the proximity of the China Town neighborhood.

The Jews faced a complicating task of trying to find their identity in American culture while still maintaining their Jewish heritage. In the 1900, more than 40 percent of America's Jews were new settlers, with ten years or less in the country (Sarna). The new settlers started to adapt to American ways by attending night classes, wearing American clothes, and learning the new customs (Grubin). Due to the growth of Jews, wherever Jews lived in America, they face anti-semitism (Klapper). Therefore, not only are the Jews trying to preserve their history and culture under the pressure of the Americans, they were also trying to position themselves in an American community. Some Jews questioned their identity by asking themselves are we American Jews, Americans without a hyphenated identity, or simply Jewish

For a people whose traditions and rituals originate from the age of Egyptian pharaohs, modernity can be a relative term. The Jewish people have one of the oldest traditions of any culture on earth and have been a part of nearly every major civilization, from the ancient Egyptians, to the Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans and British empires. Over the centuries, they have traditions both of successful self-governance but also of persecution, hostility and exile. The ability of the Jewish people to maintain their ethnic and religious identity throughout four millennia of peace and conflict illustrates not only the strength of their conviction but also their skill in organizing and leading themselves.

A Political, Cultural, and Religious Description of the Current Atmosphere as Exists in Israel Israel, in the 1990's, is in a continual state of political, cultural and religious flux. Religion continues to play a central factor in the difficulties which the state has been and continues to experience. This unique country is characterized by an amalgam of cultural and ethnic diversity. This historical and cultural fact ensures that the difficulties the state has been experiencing in realizing self-adjustment will continue. At the same time, there exist mostly positive and persistent facets of the culture which continue unabated as will be discussed.

One thing that I find interesting in the article, A Portrait of Jewish Americans, is

the “Garden of Eden”, the golden land,” where jews would no longer be enslaved by “dead drudgery.” The Jewish tried extremely hard to fit in with the Americans, but in return they were called “ greenhorns” and many were considered filthy and weren’t even compared to the educated white collared Americans. For example, “The Jews “reaped more and or dislike as they bettered themselves,”. “The more avidly they reached out for acceptance and participation in American life, the more their reputation seemed to suffer.” As more and more jewish immigrants started to settle in America, America's still didn't accept them for who they were, which extremely bothered them. “Seeking new homes in more middle- class areas, they often encountered restrictive covenants-clauses in deeds that explicitly prohibited selling of the property to Jews.” This shows that no matter how hard the Jewish immigrants tried to fit in into this new land of freedom, they were still looked down upon and were not accepted. After moving from the Lower East, they began moving to Harlem. “ “For rent”, signs warned that they were not welcome: “Keine Juden, und keine Hunde” (“No Jews , No Dogs”).” However, the Jewish were persistent and kept settling into Harlem. They did not give up from the American riots and were determined. “The Jews had come to make new homes in America, and their strikes had given them a sense of belonging to the new land.” At first the Americans welcomes small group of the jews until several

Since the rise of Judaism, Jewish followers have faced an extensive history of exploitation. The cultural and religious practices of Judaism were foreign and unfathomable during this time, especially for other religious groups like Christians. Jews were not necessarily understood and were perceived as being Greedy, wanderers, untrustworthy, and failures (Fermaglich, lecture, 07 September 2017). Ultimately Judaism’s vision was rejected and the followers were unwelcome in the kingdom, leading to the diaspora. Once the dispersal of Jews occurred, they were living in the surrounding areas rather than living within close proximity to one another. Judaism evolved and diversified due to the diaspora, and later immigration. Today, the Jewish religion that used to have one common set of practices now differs between the four sects of the religion. These include Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Secular. Although there are distinct religious differences, the branches of Judaism are bound together by the values, traditions, and historical experiences, creating a unified group of people.

The Jewish adolescents and young adults have struggled with keeping traditions within the culture of Judaism. The first thing many struggle with at a young age is